Chapter 2952: You Are My Fashion Darling 11

Jin Chen took the meal box; the portion was not light. He opened it and took a look: inside was a nutritionally balanced meat-and-vegetable meal, plus a soup that smelled delicious, and sliced fruit lay beside it.

This treatment was obviously not the standard boxed meal uniformly given to other contestants.

Photographer Jake hadn't left yet; seeing this, he winked at Jin Chen, showing a look that said 'I understand.'

Jin Chen expressionlessly glanced at Jake, then looked at his meal box, found a shady spot with no one, sat down, and it tasted just like yesterday.

The meal-delivering staff didn't leave right away but stood a bit farther away, pretending to tidy up while actually watching all around to keep outsiders away, and couldn't help but sneak glances at Jin Chen from the corner of their eye; inside they were far from calm as they appeared.

Heaven only knows how tumultuous her heart was when she received the order to fetch the nutritionally prepared meal specially made for contestant Jin Chen by the Chief Executive Officer; holding that meal box, her hands trembled.

That was Chenshu! The true power holder of the Opalus Group! One of the most mysterious existences at the pinnacle of the fashion world!

He would actually personally cook for an obscure contestant!

The staff had handled jewelry worth over a hundred million in their lifetime and never been this nervous, yet the person before them ate with utter composure.

She couldn't help but glance at Jin Chen again—what on earth is his background? To have Chenshu personally cook for him, to have Chenshu specially give instructions… Right, she almost forgot her duty.

"Jin Chen," she cleared her throat, her tone noticeably warmer than usual.

"Mr. Chenshu said you can go to his place for a nap this afternoon."

Jin Chen was eating when he heard this and suddenly licked the corner of his lips.

Someone surnamed Jin won't be fooled a third time.

Next, the staff heard this ancestor-like figure refuse in a tone as if he cared about nothing: "Not going."

Staff: "……" You're amazing.

She could only force out a dry smile: "... Okay, I'll pass it along."

Jin Chen covered the meal box, set it aside, then stood up and stretched.

Having eaten his fill, basking in the sun, the sea breeze blowing…

He was sleepy.

In the afternoon after filming ended, for the contestants who had completed their tasks it was free time.

But the program team, to gather material, would also schedule extra shoots or interviews, mainly targeting high‑popularity or talk‑worthy contestants. Those not selected inevitably felt a bit down, gathering in twos and threes to chat, or hurriedly touching up their makeup and fixing their image, hoping to leave a good impression when the camera swept over.

Min Heng was one of the contestants selected for the extra coverage.

He had just finished a personal interview, and upon exiting he instinctively scanned the crowd for Jin Chen's figure.

Min Heng needed to reinforce their 'deep brotherly bond' image on camera with Jin Chen, and besides… sound out his intentions, but after searching around he didn't see Jin Chen's shadow.

He grabbed a familiar staff member to ask; the person pointed toward the villa dormitory area, expression a little subtle, "Jin Chen athlete? He seems to have… gone back to take a nap."

Min Heng: "……" Forget it, that's only natural.

——

At dusk, the setting sun dyed the horizon where sea meets sky a gorgeous gold‑red.

All contestants were again summoned to the lawn; behind the white table, the five judges had already taken their seats, with Chenshu still sitting in the central main seat.

The atmosphere was tenser than in the daytime. The afternoon's score tally and online voting had ended, and the rankings and elimination list for this episode were about to be announced.

Anna, the sharp‑tongued fashion devil known for her vicious wit, wore a neat black suit, her silver hair meticulously combed back.

She picked up the microphone, her gaze sweeping over the contestants below with varied expressions, "Before we begin today's critiques and announce the results, please allow me to formally introduce today's special observer, also the most important supporter of this season's Fashion Darling China Region."

"This is Mr. Chenshu, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Opalus Group, and Global Chief Designer of the Opalus Classic Jewelry Line."

As her words fell, incredulous exclamations rose and fell one after another.

The contestants widened their eyes, looking at Anna, then at the young man seated in the main seat whose bearing was noble and face handsome, their faces full of shock. That legendary, mysteriously low‑key top‑tier capital controller who rarely appears in public actually stood before them!

No wonder even Anna and Victor showed him extra respect; no wonder he could sit in the main seat!

The camera timely swept over the contestant rows, capturing each face that was either shocked and awestruck or ambitious.

Only Jin Chen stood in the rear corner of the crowd, unremarkable in posture, lightly leaning against a decorative wooden lamp post nearby, until Chenshu's gaze fell upon him.

If Jin Chen sensed something, he lifted his eyelids to look over; Chenshu curved the corner of his lips toward him.

Jin Chen: "……"

He expressionlessly averted his gaze, lowered his head again, and looked at his own toe.

This show, it seems, is sponsored by the Opalus Group.

So those judges, those resources, those coveted endorsement opportunities… all have to do with that handsome oddball.

Someone surnamed Jin seems to have unintentionally provoked a formidable figure.

What a hassle.

——

After the brief introduction and shock, the critique session officially began.

On the big screen, the works of the top‑ranked contestants in this round were displayed in turn.

The first to be shown was Gu Chen Zhou.

He chose to set his shoot on towering reefs, with blue sky and clear sea as the backdrop; composition, lighting, and model performance were flawless.

Several judges gave their critiques in turn, all awarding high praise.

Ava praised his command of clothing and environment, Victor admired his bold composition and use of light and shadow, Anna unusually refrained from her usual venom, yet when the scores were revealed it sparked a small commotion.

Gu Chen Zhou's overall score was 9.2.

This score is still high; placed on any other contestant it would be outright crushing.

But bear in mind, in the first three episodes Gu Chen Zhou's lowest score was 9.5, and his online voting had practically blown away the competition; this time his online voting score slipped slightly, while in the judges' scoring Victor actually gave only 8.5 points!

8.5 points! For a contestant of Gu Chen Zhou's caliber, that could almost be counted as a mistake.

Gu Chen Zhou himself, upon seeing the score, wasn't overly disappointed; he just fell into thought.

He is very smart, and almost immediately realized that among today's competing works there was something even more stunning to the judges and audience.

Gu Chen Zhou calmly scanned the other contestants below the stage, and for some unknown reason his gaze ended on the figure in the corner who was almost asleep—Jin Chen.

Jin Chen lowered their head and yawned.

Gu Chen Zhou's gaze lingered on him for two seconds; then, when nobody was noticing, he tugged at the corner of his mouth toward Jin Chen's direction, nodded slightly, signalling that he had placed Jin Chen in the position of a worthy opponent.

Jin Chen seemed to sense something, slowly lifted his eyelids, and just met Gu Chen Zhou's gaze that he hadn't yet fully withdrawn.

Jin Chen: "?"

Jin Chen blinked blankly, then glanced once more at Gu Chen Zhou's back.